The Arizona Cardinals made a move on Monday, trading a 5th round pick to the Buffalo Bills for offensive lineman Cody Ford.
I have to imagine that Kyler Murray is in a pretty good mood right now. First, the Cardinals acquired one of his favorite college targets in Hollywood Brown, then he got paid, and now the team has traded for another of his friends and college teammates in offensive lineman Cody Ford.
The Cardinals acquired Ford from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2023 5th-round pick. With the Cardinals projected to gain three compensatory picks in the 2023 draft – one each in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th rounds – General Manager Steve Keim likely saw a 5th round pick as expendable, and a small price to pay for a player with Ford’s tools.
Ford was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 38th pick, during the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. While the Bills had hoped Ford would become their right tackle of the future, he never quite lived up to his draft status. Ford now has an opportunity to make a new start with two of his friend and college teammates, and playing in an offense that holds similarities to the Oklahoma offense in which he flourished.
For the Cardinals, Ford provides much-needed veteran depth at guard and tackle, with Justin Murray currently sidelined with an ankle injury. But it’s possible that the Cardinals see a future for Ford beyond the 2022 season. If Ford acclimates to the Cardinals offense, the Cardinals could look to extend or resign him after the season. With veterans Justin Pugh and Kelvin Beachum set to be free agents after the season, and uncertainty as to whether Rodney Hudson will choose to play beyond the 2022 season, the Cardinals may see Ford as the succession plan for one of their aging veterans.
For more on Cody Ford, watch this video from The Cardinal Rule:
